Effects of continuous 1-h a day 900-MHz EMF applied through early & mid-adolescence on hippocampus morphology & learning behavior in late adolescent male rats

2018 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 1947

Histopathological examination showed impairments of pyramidal and granular cell structures in the hippocampus in the EMF group. No significant changes were observed in learning, memory, or locomotor behavior between groups.

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effects of continuous 1-h a day 900-MHz EMF applied through early & mid-adolescence on hippocampus morphology & learning behavior in late adolescent male rats Keleş A, Yıldırım M, Gedikli Ö, Çolakoğlu S, Kaya H, Baş O, Sönmez OF, Odacı E. The effects of a continuous 1-h a day 900-MHz electromagnetic field applied throughout early and mid-adolescence on hippocampus morphology and learning behavior in late adolescent male rats. J Chem Neuroanat. 2018 Dec;94:46-53. doi: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2018.08.006. Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate hippocampus morphology and changes in learning behavior in male rats in late adolescence exposed to the effect of a continuous 1-h a day 900-megahertz (MHz) electromagnetic field (EMF). Twenty-four male Sprague Dawley rats aged 3-weeks were divided equally into control, sham and EMF groups. EMF group rats were exposed to a 900-MHz EMF inside an EMF cage, while the sham group rats were placed in the same cage but were not exposed to such an effect. No procedure was performed on the control group. Following 25-day application of EMF, passive avoidance, 8-arm radial maze and Y-maze tests were applied to determine rats' learning and memory performances. Open field and rotarod tests were applied to assess locomotor activity. At the end of the tests, the animals' brains were removed. Sections were taken and stained with toluidine blue. The regions of the hippocampus were subjected to histopathological evaluation. At histopathological examination, impairments of pyramidal and granular cell structures were observed in the EMF group hippocampus. No significant change was observed in learning, memory or locomotor behavior in any group. In conclusion, 900-MHz EMF applied in early and mid-adolescence causes no changes in learning, memory or locomotor behavior. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionmixed

PopulationMale Sprague Dawley rats (late adolescence outcomes; exposure started at age 3 weeks)

Sample size24

ExposureRF · 900 MHz · 1 h/day for 25 days (continuous), during early and mid-adolescence

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Hippocampus morphology (histopathology; pyramidal and granular cell structures)
Learning and memory performance (passive avoidance, 8-arm radial maze, Y-maze)
Locomotor activity (open field, rotarod)

Limitations

Specific exposure metrics (e.g., SAR, power density) not reported in abstract
Animal study; generalizability to humans is limited
Small sample size (n=24 total)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "other",
    "frequency_mhz": 900,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "1 h/day for 25 days (continuous), during early and mid-adolescence"
  },
  "population": "Male Sprague Dawley rats (late adolescence outcomes; exposure started at age 3 weeks)",
  "sample_size": 24,
  "outcomes": [
    "Hippocampus morphology (histopathology; pyramidal and granular cell structures)",
    "Learning and memory performance (passive avoidance, 8-arm radial maze, Y-maze)",
    "Locomotor activity (open field, rotarod)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Histopathological examination showed impairments of pyramidal and granular cell structures in the hippocampus in the EMF group. No significant changes were observed in learning, memory, or locomotor behavior between groups.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Specific exposure metrics (e.g., SAR, power density) not reported in abstract",
    "Animal study; generalizability to humans is limited",
    "Small sample size (n=24 total)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "900 MHz",
    "RF-EMF",
    "adolescence",
    "rat",
    "hippocampus",
    "histopathology",
    "learning",
    "memory",
    "locomotor activity"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "rf-emf-animal-studies",
      "weight": 0.85,
      "reason": "Experimental RF-EMF exposure study in rats assessing brain morphology and behavior."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2018.08.006
PubMed: Not supplied

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